We did our wedding in 2007 at a brand new Courtyard. We got the 3 points/dollar for the cost of the reception (all food/alcohol included). There was also a promo at the time for putting the entire tab on any American Express card to earn an additional 25k points, so be sure to search the Marriott site for any promos like that, looks like post #2 has one lined up already. We signed up for the Marriott Visa before this and paid for the rooms of our wedding party (points/stay credit!) too, so consider that.